


Attached

by flootzavut



Series: Lie to NCIS [34]
Category: Lie to Me (TV), NCIS
Genre: Angst, Awesome Foursome, Crossover, F/F, Familial Relationships, Foursome, Friendship, GxK, Kate Lives, Lie to NCIS, UST, crossoververse, foursomeverse, queer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-18
Updated: 2017-04-18
Packaged: 2018-10-20 15:00:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10665072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flootzavut/pseuds/flootzavut
Summary: Gillian and Kate talk about Emily.Crib notes for the fandom blindhere.





	Attached

**Author's Note:**

> This one is being posted _really_ out of order, I finally found a title I'm happy with for it. It wasn't desperately important plotwise so I temporarily skipped it, but it should have come between [Radish Me](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10537968) and [Danger](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10428432).
> 
> I imagine regular readers are sick to the back teeth of my crib notes, so I'll just reiterate that they're available [here](http://archiveofourown.org/series/334084) and drop a reminder that Emily is Cal's daughter :)

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_**Attached** _

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Kate finds herself humming a jaunty tune, and laughs at herself for being ridiculous. Filing is boring, but... there's something almost enjoyable about it when she's doing it with a friend. No one's life is hanging in the balance, no one wants to kill her or take her hostage... they're just organising things to make everyone's lives easier, and she gets to hang out with Gill in the meantime. It's almost fun.

The mountain of paperwork she's making her way through defies categorisation at points (she's fully prepared to blame that on Cal), but that makes it more of a challenge and therefore more of a triumph when they figure stuff out.

She's so intent on a particularly knarly pile that she's quite surprised, once she gets it sorted, to realise that Gillian has stopped work and is staring into space looking rather upset. "What's the matter?"

Gillian startles, and blinks at Kate. "Sorry, I was miles away."

"I could tell."

"Sorry."

"Hey, don't apologise, I just want to help."

Gillian lets out a wobbly laugh. "I... I know that, I do." She wipes at her eyes. "I was thinking about Em and Cal and how close they are, and I started to worry about what me dating Cal is going to do to that, and-" she shrugs "-I guess it's silly."

Kate gives her a stern look. "It's not silly to worry, it's human. Though it's pretty silly to keep it to yourself." She waits expectantly, then when Gill stays silent she adds, "Look, you don't have to talk to me, but you obviously need to talk to someone." It's usually Gill's line, but it's clearly true, so Kate can't feel bad about using it.

Gill smiles wryly, tacit acknowledgement of the role reversal and that she knows Kate's right. "Honestly, I'd rather talk to you than anyone else," she admits with a grin.

Kate can't help grinning back. It's not exactly surprising, with all they've shared over the last few months, but it still gives her a case of the warm fuzzies to have Gill say that. "You can always talk to me."

They smile at one another for a few moments longer, then Gill's face falls. She looks truly distressed, and Kate can't figure out what the problem is. Emily's delight in Gillian belonging properly with her and her father is only eclipsed by Gillian's delight in having Emily as an almost-step-daughter.

"Whatever you're thinking," Kate says quietly, "I'm almost certain you're just imagining problems. Tell me and let me help.

Gillian gives her a tight smile. "I'm worried it might get... weird."

"Weird?"

"With Emily. We've always been close, but now, with Cal... I don't know if it's going to change things and it worries me."

Kate frowns, honestly not following.

"I mean, usually Cal doesn't introduce Emily to women he's... dating."

Kate figures 'long pause dating' is a euphemism for the somewhat indiscriminate shagging Cal indulged in while he was trying to keep his hands off of Gillian.

"Gillian, there's no comparison, you know that, right? He didn't introduce Emily to them because he didn't want them to be part of her life. You're already part of her life, and he likes it that way."

"But it's different now. I don't want Em to feel like I'm trying to replace her mom, or..."

"Why would she?"

Gill looks upset. "Because- because I'm not her mom, and... what if she hates that Cal's dating me? What if she ends up hating  _me_?"

"Are you kidding me? Gillian, that girl adores you."

"This isn't the same, though. I mean, I'm dating her dad. Don't you think that's going to be weird for her?"

"But-" It suddenly occurs to Kate that Gill really doesn't get it, and that she can help.

She grabs Gill by the shoulders, drags her away from the filing she's doing, sets her down on the couch and sits next to her. "Okay, listen good. I should've told you this before, I'm sorry, I guess I got caught up in everything and it slipped my mind, but better late than never." Gill looks confused, and Kate realises she's not making much sense. She takes a second to organise her thoughts, then, "Em came to me asking for ideas how to get you two together, not long before it all went down."

"She did what?

"She wanted my help making you guys into a couple. She wanted you both to be happy, she even said-" Kate smiles at the memory "-she said she loved you, and you were practically her stepmom already."

Gill starts blinking rapidly. Kate knows what a big deal motherhood is to Gill. That Gill loves Emily like her own daughter wouldn't surprise anyone who's known them for more than five minutes, but it seems like Gill's never realised how completely mutual it is.

"I don't think Em's 'okay' with it, Gillian. I think she's absolutely thrilled."

"Oh." Gill's voice is soft and shaky.

Kate wipes away a tear which is escaping down Gill's cheek. "When I told her we had a plan, she was all over me to let her help." She laughs. "It was really sweet."

Gill looks alarmed. "You didn't tell her, right?"

"That we were going to make out in front of them and hope it made them so jealous they'd be unable to resist jumping us?" Kate rolls her eyes. "What do you think?"

Gillian laughs, and the tension drains out of her, which is exactly the reaction Kate was hoping for. "Okay, that was sort of a stupid question." She grins. Her eyes are still welling up, but she no longer looks like she's about to fall apart. "I never realised... I mean, occasionally she would say something. I remember when Cal was sleeping with Zoe again, Em was a little horrified by the idea." She shrugs. "She told me he was happier with me, and I had no idea how to respond."

"A kid who doesn't want their parents to reconcile? That's pretty unusual, isn't it?"

"Most kids aren't as smart as Emily." Gill giggles. "And most marriages aren't nearly as fraught as Cal and Zoe's was, either."

Kate gives that a moment's consideration. One way and another, she's yet to meet Zoe, but she's heard stories. And given how difficult Cal can be... well. Enough said.

"My marriage was falling apart," Gill continues, "and Cal was having a fling with his ex, who was engaged to someone else... it was all such a mess, and Emily just looked at me and said that and... I guess I never realised quite how sincerely she meant it." She chuckles, wipes at the tears on her cheeks.

"Hey, hey, c'mere." Kate's glad they've mostly navigated past the awkwardness of trying to dial back to a platonic relationship. Pulling Gill close and holding her tight is still a slightly painful reminder of all the things she misses about being... being whatever it was they were to each other. But she's no longer desperately tempted to kiss Gill into a better frame of mind, and mostly she's just glad she's able to comfort Gill, comfort and love her as a friend.

She rocks and shushes, and Gillian giggles into her neck. "I'm okay," she insists, slightly muffled.

Kate laughs. "Maybe I just like holding you."

Gillian squeezes her for a moment. "I like that too."

They both go quiet after that. Kate closes her eyes and buries her face in Gill's hair, and maybe she needs the comfort more than she'd let herself admit. She's unbelievably grateful she and Gillian managed to hold on to this friendship despite all the difficulties, but for a few moments she wants to forget how complicated things seem and enjoy the closeness.

"Thank you," Gill murmurs eventually.

Kate's not sure what for, if it's for telling her about what Em said, for their friendship, for the hug, but it doesn't seem to matter that much. They draw apart reluctantly, and exchange slightly watery smiles.

Gill scrubs the remaining tears from her cheeks. "I- God, I just keep falling apart on you, don't I?"

Kate shrugs. "What are friends for?"

Gillian chuckles, her smile wide, the corners of her eyes crinkling, and grabs Kate's hand. "Thank you," she says again.

They look at each other, and Kate has to blink her eyes to stave off her own tears, which have come out of nowhere. Then Gill leans in and gently butts Kate's shoulder with her head, like an affectionate cat, Kate giggles and strokes Gill's hair, and the confusion dissipates with the silliness.

"C'mon, let's file this lot and at least be organised for five minutes before Cal comes and messes everything up again."

Kate grins. Yeah, that's all definitely Lightman's fault.

_~ fin ~_

**Author's Note:**

> I'm still organising this section of this verse, so this was posted out of chronological order.


End file.
